ODOT project to begin soon on Roseburg bridge

ROSEBURG, OR. -- You might experience some delays if you're driving on I-5 through Roseburg over the next year and a half.

The Oregon Department of Transportation said crews will be working to replace or repair the bearings and joints that support the bridge.

They will also be sealing cracks in the concrete and giving the bridge a new surface.

Improvements will also be made to strengthen it, allowing it to better withstand earthquakes.

Dan Latham with ODOT said the resurfacing will only take a few days and will be done at night.

The pedestrian bridge will only have temporary closures for about twenty minutes at a time.

The bridge was built in 1955 and expanded in 1976 to accommodate more traffic.

That’s when the pedestrian bridge was added.

“Now it’s been like that for about 40 years,” said Latham. “At that time, they used lead paint. We want to strip that paint off, recoat it, and that, one, gets rid of the lead paint. And also, recoating it helps protect the steel of the bridge and extends the lifespan of the bridge.”

Latham said this project should last about a year and a half, and workers will start to move more equipment into this area sometime over the next couple of weeks.